Document transport device

Abstract

A device (10) for advancing documents (12) from an input location (14) to an output location (16) along a path includes belts (24, 26) for capturing a document (12) and for temporarily imparting a stiffness to the document that is greater than the inherent document stiffness. Structure (34, 60) is provided for driving belts (24, 26) to move the document (12) from the input location (14) to the output location (16) along the path. A guide (90) is disposed adjacent the belts (24, 26) and along the path for contacting the edges of the document (12) to thereby cause lateral aligning shifts of the document (12) transverse to the direction of document (12) advance, while the document (12) is captured by belts (24, 26) and while the document (12) is being advanced along the path.

I claim: 
     
       1. A document transport device for aligning documents moving along a path, each of the documents having a front, back and edges, the device comprising: a guide for receiving the documents, said guide including an input end and an output end, said ends being connected by spaced apart first and second sidewalls, the distance between said sidewalls at said input end being greater than the distance between said sidewalls at said output end, and said distance continuously decreasing from said input end to said output end;   first and second belts disposed between said guide sidewalls for movement between said input end and said output end, said belts engaging the front and back of the document for advancing the document along the path through said guide;   said first and second belts including a plurality of interengaging teeth disposed transversely to the direction of document advance, said belts engaging each other with the document therebetween to corrugate the document and thereby temporarily impart a stiffness to the document that is greater than the inherent document stiffness, such that the corrugated edges of the document contact said guide sidewalls, said guide sidewalls thereby aligning the document towards the center of the path by sliding the document, having said greater stiffness, transversely to the direction of document advance while the document is engaged by said belts and while the document advances along the path from said guide input end to said guide output end; and   means for driving said belts.